Iconic Dishes From Every State
Rhode Island – Clam Cakes
While Maryland has crab cakes, Rhode Island has clam cakes. Instead of being pan-fried, these bad boys are battered and deep-fried, like a savory doughnut hole with perfectly fresh bites of clam in every bite. We don’t know about you, but we could devour a whole lot of these!
South Carolina – Hoppin’ John
Made as early as the 1840s, Hoppin’ John is a typical South Carolinian dish consisting of rice, black-eyed peas, bacon (or ham hock) and collard greens. This is a dish traditionally eaten around New Year’s since it represents wealth and prosperity; the black-eyed peas signify pennies or coins and the greens allude to the color of U.S. currency. Now there’s a tradition we can get behind!
Tennessee – Hot Chicken
Different from just fried chicken, hot chicken is marinated chicken breast or thigh that’s fried and topped with a spicy paste, then served on white bread. While some of the spicy paste ingredients might vary, you can count on there being lard and cayenne pepper as the staples of it that pull everything together. Excuse us while we go get ourselves some hot chicken….
Michigan – Pasties
Although they’re initially a Cornish specialty, pasties made their way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and became such a hit that there’s even an annual festival now to celebrate them (and to eat as many of them as possible).
Ohio – Cincinnati Chili
While you might read the name and think of something akin to a chili and cornbread dish, you’d be wrong here. Cincinnati chili is a mediterranean-inspired chili that’s served atop a heaping pile of spaghetti (- this chili served on hot dogs is known as a “coney”) that was invented by Macedonian immigrants in Ohio in the 1920s. This dish is definitely not to be missed!